Related Posts
Anyone buying amzn ahead of earnings today?
Do S& or EYP hire IOs?
Additional Posts in Paralegals
Do small law firms have paralegal managers?
New to Fishbowl?
Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
I was a senior paralegal and supervised the department. I was responsible for most of the work and to be honest we were always short staffed. The firm was so fast paced and always having to cover for other departments things would fall through the cracks at some point. When things would fall through the cracks as the supervising paralegal I would take the end of it .. He would scream at the top of his lungs and let out what he was feeling. I would simply let him know that once he was over it he can find me sitting at my desk. Things happen everyone is not perfect and attorneys sometimes seem to forget we are paralegals …we basically do most of the work. They need to take some responsibility at some point.
I would suggest speaking to the attorney about it when they are not stressed out. Maybe together you two can come up with a way for you to bring it their attention when they are acting out. Honestly, they may not be aware of how they are projecting the stress onto you. Definitely do not try to speak to them about it in the midst of the stress. That could escalate things and make things worse.
Thank you!
🚩🚩🚩🚩
Paralegal:
The first response you got was so good that I started not to respond. I incorporate that person’s point here. But further, you need a written contract. The terms need to include the nature of discipline or whatever you wish to call it.
The bottom line is that you are an asset to the office. The mistreating of one person by another is a character flaw. Something else is causing this. A written agreement should cure.
But finally, you must be prepared to find greener pastures. When you have other opportunities, these things become easier to address.
I hope this has some value.
I would ask kindly if they can change their tone. I literally said to attorney once did anyone die ? Truth be told on the back end the courts and federal agencies aren’t even this stressed on the back end. Life happens, tech fails, but being overly dramatic doesn’t help the workload or the work. I tend to be the calm force because I utterly refuse to be a player in the chaos
Thank you!
Maybe it's because you are addressing a sole attorney as "they." Speaking proper English might clear up the whole situation!
Abuse of any kind and disrespect is never acceptable in my book...just sayin...
My very first job as a paralegal was with a solo...he would get snarky with me once in a while ( due to stresses in his life)...one day, I just looked him right in the eye and said "I'm not 100% in love with your tone, Ron" ...he apologized and said he didn't even realize he had that tone and never did it again. Sometimes they don't realize how they sound unless you tell them!
I have to be honest with you, if all that’s wrong is the tone of their voice, then you’re lucky. I’ve had the partner at my law firm fling stuff in my face, the managing partner call me an idiot, one scream at me at the top of his lungs, etc, tone is nothing. I don’t think you’re going to be able to find a lawyer to work for that doesn’t occasionally have a stressed tone. Finding one that doesn’t take their stress out on you (and it sounds like this attorney does not) is a stroke of luck.
“It’s amazing how much better I perform when you speak in *this* tone. Thank you and I’ll fix the issue now.”